It is sparsely resident along the shores of the north-western Indian Ocean (namely southern Somalia, Arabian Peninsula, Socotra, Pakistan, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and northern Sri Lanka).

It was originally given the name black-shafted ternlet (Sterna saundersi) by Hume, which was later changed to its present common name.

The majority of the Saunders's tern's diet consists of various marine animals, including small fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.

[6] An individual will hover above the water for a sizable amount of time, before making a plunge dive to catch fish.

[3] It is a widely distributed species, and although population numbers are estimated to be small to large and even showing signs of decline, the species is not assessed as being close to the threshold of vulnerability, and its conservation status has been assessed as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List.